Woodbridge filmmaker Luca Tarantini wins TVO's 2014 Doc Studio Contest

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Apr 17, 2014, 12:08 ET

TORONTO, April 17, 2014 /CNW/ - TVO is proud to announce that Woodbridge, Ontario filmmaker Luca Tarantini is the winner of the third annual TVO Doc Studio Short Doc Contest, for his short film, The Middle Way.

After an esteemed jury of Ontario filmmakers led by Emmy Award-winning director Peter Raymont (Shake Hands With the Devil: The Journey of Roméo Dallaire) selected five finalists, TVO invited the public to choose the winner via online vote. As the winner, Luca will see his film air on TVO on April 30. He will also receive a pass to the Hot Docs Film Festival and participate in a day-long mentorship session with Peter Raymont.

Under the theme "Docs That Matter," entrants submitted films that reflected a broad range of issues they were passionate about, and demonstrated high-caliber filmmaking techniques.

In The Middle Way, Luca follows a young man's struggle to find the balance between his two passions: religion and rock 'n' roll. By day, Jasper Bendici is a theology student at a Greek Orthodox seminary. By night, he's a singer/lead-guitarist for a local rock band, The Shallow Seas. His pursuits seem to conflict on the surface, but Jasper finds qualities that unite them both.

A fan of movies and documentaries and keenly interested in social issues, Luca holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Film Studies from York University and is currently enrolled in the Advanced Television and Film program at Sheridan College.

"TVO congratulates Luca on his achievement. We were thrilled by the deep level of engagement we saw from Luca and all the contestants in the Doc Studio Contest," says Jane Jankovic, TVO's commissioning editor. "The films illustrated truly compelling storytelling and gave important insight into the thoughts and ideas on the minds of Ontario's future filmmakers. TVO is proud to have provided Luca and all the entrants a platform for their voices to be heard."

About Doc Studio
TVO champions documentaries on air and through Doc Studio, an online showcase for documentary filmmakers and their work and a learning community supporting point-of-view filmmaking. A leader in Canadian point-of-view documentaries, TVO devotes more than half of its primetime schedule to documentaries.

About TVO
TVO is Ontario's public educational media organization and a trusted source of interactive educational content that informs, inspires and stimulates curiosity and thought. TVO's vision is to empower people to be engaged citizens of Ontario through educational media. TVO is funded primarily by the Province of Ontario and is a registered charity supported by sponsors and thousands of donors. For more information, visit tvo.org.